RF transceiver requires just 2 mA of current to transmit, receive data

Microsemi Corp. announced the availability of a new ultra low power (ULP) RF transceiver for short-range wireless applications where power consumption is critical.

The ZL70250 sets the bar in terms of low power consumption with only 2 milliamps (mA) of current required to transmit and receive data, enabling extremely long battery life and miniaturization. These two features are particularly important for applications using energy harvesting and battery-powered wireless sensor networks.

The new ULP radio operates in unlicensed frequency bands between 795 and 965 megahertz (MHz) and delivers a data rate of 186 kilobits per second (kbps) to support a wide variety of sensor applications. All components are integrated into a single chip scale package (CSP) with the exception of a bias resistor and a supply decoupling capacitor.

Due to the ZL70250 radio's low peak current and voltage supply (1.1V to 1.9V), system vendors developing low power sensor nodes can target a variety of short-range wireless sensor networks across several industry segments. With its 2 mm x 3 mm die size the ZL70250 CSP can be integrated together with other compact ICs in multi-chip modules (MCM).

Microsemi is providing development support tools for the ZL70250 CSP solution. Included in the tools are Application Development Kits (ADK), a low power wireless communication software code starter for point to point connections and reference designs of wireless sensors based on CR-2032 coin cell batteries.